EYES ON: Parker — and, no, that's not a crack about the left eye he nearly lost in a nightclub fight. The Spurs have learned to survive waning production from Duncan and Ginobili, but that makes another All-Star caliber season from Parker almost essential.

OUTLOOK: The Spurs have finished with the best record in the West the past two seasons. Not having a championship to show for it doesn't make the tired predictions of them being too old to contend any less lazy or wrong. Getting past the Lakers or Thunder is a longshot, but the Spurs will be in the mix again come April.

EYES ON: Gay. He turned in career numbers during the lockout-shortened season, only to struggle in games during the playoff loss to the Clippers. He used a late snub for the U.S. Olympic team as motivation to work on his consistency.

OUTLOOK: The Grizzlies are eager to have everyone healthy for an entire season and for the playoffs. They didn't have Gay due to a shoulder injury when they knocked off the top-seeded Spurs and lost in seven games to Oklahoma City in the 2011 playoffs. Randolph came back quickly from a knee injury and was not at his best in the seven-game loss to the Clippers. Now they hope they've added much-needed outside scoring to prevent teams from collapsing on Gasol and Randolph, which they believe can help them make a deep postseason run.

EYES ON: Nowitzki's knee. The perennial All-Star is likely out until at least mid-November, possibly longer, recovering from arthroscopic right knee surgery. Then, how will the 34-year-old Nowitzki respond once he gets back on the court?

OUTLOOK: Losing Nowitzki for the first part of the season is a big blow for a team that was already so drastically changed. With so many new pieces, including two new guards, and most players on short-term deals after Dallas missed out on free agent Deron Williams, the Mavericks could already be thinking about next offseason. In the meantime, they could have enough talent to get one of the last playoff spots in the Western Conference.

COACH: Monty Williams, third season with Hornets, third season overall; 67-81.

EYES ON: Gordon and Davis. Gordon played in only nine games last season because of a right knee injury, but the Hornets won six of those games and he averaged a team-high in scoring when he did play. If he can stay healthy, he could make the Hornets a more realistic playoff contender. Davis, drafted first overall after leading Kentucky to an NCAA national championship, will start at power forward right away. The hope in New Orleans is he will learn the NBA game quickly on the heels of his experience last summer with the U.S. Olympic team that won gold in London.

OUTLOOK: With Tom Benson, also owner of the NFL's Saints, now the man in charge of New Orleans' NBA franchise, and with arena renovations in the works, expectations are that Williams and the Hornets' talented young roster will have all the support they need to eventually grow into a playoff contender. The question is, how soon?

COACH: Kevin McHale, second season with Rockets, fourth season overall; 73-87.

EYES ON: Lin. The Rockets envision Lin as their point guard of the future and a cornerstone of their rebuilding effort. Despite his meteoric rise to stardom on the New York stage last season, Lin is still low on experience, with only 25 career starts. The pressure is different in Houston — instead of performing in the glare of the Big Apple, Lin is expected to assume a leadership role and prove he can be a dependable and durable starting point guard.

OUTLOOK: Houston tore apart its roster in the offseason and is virtually starting over with youth. Even McHale acknowledges that the Rockets will take some lumps. Just making the playoffs seems like a long shot in the rugged West.

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